


Chasing your starlight

by LadyGloucester



Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-03 07:20:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1735982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyGloucester/pseuds/LadyGloucester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One night, a lot of vodka and five years passing by: perfect recipe to find out what happened to that one-night-stand that blew your mind away.</p>
<p>But life has treated them quite differently...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When Richard woke up that morning, his stomach told him something was going to be dreadful about that day. He wasn't apprehensive, but definitely had a sixth sense about things. He left his burgundy silk sheets and walked naked into his thermostatic shower, relaxing under the feeling of the steaming hot water on his well defined body. He threw some nice clothes on, his favorite white dress shirt and a pair of jeans that fit him perfectly. Casual, but elegant. Letting his wet curls dry on their own, he left his penthouse with his laptop and walked to his usual coffee shop, where every morning he grabbed a cappuccino and a piece of chocolate cake and wrote his next novel.

Richard York was one of the most selling authors alive. Fame came along with his first published work, a story about two star-crossed lovers in the middle ages, when marriage was more a duty than a fulfillment of love. The world had gone crazy, especially young girls. He never wanted to be a teen hero, but his good looks and his ability to turn on almost every women that read his books had put him on top of the list. 

When he arrived, he stood by the door, his heart dropped to his feet. It was closed! How so? Richard looked for some kind of poster warning of these, and he found one very curt and disappointing.

_It's been a nice ride with all of you, but now we are forced to close. Thank you for the last five years._

His eyes flickered, bewildered. He was an animal of habits, he loved that place and his muses had visited him every single day he sat on his table. Completely disappointed with the events, Richard looked around like a cow in front of a speeding car. His heart started racing, as if he was about to have a panic attack. He hated when things span out of control, and this was beyond his control. His eyes found a small coffee shop around the corner. Not a franchise, but a little, cozy place with a green wood display and beautiful stained glasses. 

As pulled by a force he wasn't aware of, Richard started walking towards it. One look sufficed to know this was the best option given the circumstances. He pushed the door and entered. There were only four or five marble tables with wrought iron feet and differently upholstered chairs. It looked lovely. Slowly, he sat and opened his laptop. He was already typing his password when the waitress came by.

"Good morning, sir, what can I get for you?"

"Capuccino, no sugar, and a piece of chocolate cake, please." He said without looking. A mail alert had surfaced on his screen and he learnt it was from his editor. His novel was due almost a month ago, but he had been totally blocked. Writer's blocking, that was no myth. It was happening to him and he trusted that going to his coffee shop would eventually work out. As it had always done. But now…

"Capuccino and a piece of home chocolate cake. Here you are." The waitress put down the cup and the dish and turned around as other customers entered in the coffee shop.

It took almost two hours for Richard to bring up his eyes and stare at the waitress. But when he did, he was about to choke on the coffee. There was something about that dark blonde hair, that silky skin and those light blue eyes that rang a lot of bells in his mind. 

_How do I know you…_

Finally it hit him. 

_You have to be kidding me..._

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Of course they'd go to the Alpha Epsilon sorority party. George was no more sophisticated than that. Grabbing drunk girls between beer and bushes in the garden and showing them the York love. Richard should have known they were not going to do anything more elegant than that.

He was no party animal. He liked it quiet, being surrounded by his books, his stories, and silence. But that sorority was already bursting out with music, laughter and screams of pure joy. College life in its full glory. George almost had to drag him into the house, but the minute they got in, he left him alone and went straight to grab a bottle of vodka. Richard waited trying not to touch anything and pulling himself away from every stumbling girl around. George got back with the booze and a couple of shot glasses. Richard refused shaking his head.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me, little brother…"

"I don't like drinking. You know that." Richard scowled.

"And you know that since Kate dumped you, you have done nothing more than wallowing between parchments in your cave." George mocked filling the glasses.

"George…"

"Just drink it already, man!" He yelled trying to be heard over the music. "You won't regret it, trust me."

Richard was already regretting it when he saw the bottom of the first shot, but when the fifth hit his stomach, he was beyond caring. George had took off with some busty blonde girl, stumbling together upstairs. Richard was sitting on a couch, looking at people as if they were aliens. He was fascinated by their behavior, just as mating animals in the middle of an asphalt jungle.

"Oh my…"

A young girl dropped herself by his side, touching it with her body, while she laid her head against the couch. Her cheeks were flushed, and her light blue eyes were shining because of the booze. She realized she wasn't alone and her head turned to look at Richard. Slowly, a smile was drawn on her lips and Richard replicated it without noticing.

"Hey you…" She said dragging the words. "You are totally out of place here, you know?"

Richard nodded and shrugged.

"Who?"

"Brother." He answered. "Got lucky upstairs."

"Wow, there has to be a line to get to the bedrooms." She laughed and her tingling guffaws hypnotized him. Suddenly, she stopped and her eyes sparkled with something entirely different. "I'm more of a nature girl…"

That was all he needed. At least, being drunk as a skunk. Sober Richard was a nice, gentle guy with a tendency to seriousness that worried all his friends. But drunken Richard was a sex beast. Not that he knew of, of course. He had been drunk like twice in his life, he hated the feeling. But given the circumstances...

They stumbled out of the house and hid themselves in the woods nearby. She had grabbed his hand and was pulling him into the darkness, until she leaned back against a tree turning to face him. Their hands were still tangled together, and Richard slowly came closer until his hands landed on her waist. He was so close he could smell the scent of vodka in her breath. Her eyes still sparkled in the dark, reflecting the moon. They were so inviting that Richard, usually a shy, careful guy, jumped right into it.

His lips grazed hers timidly, but when she grabbed his black curls in the back of his head and pulled him closer, he groaned deepening the kiss. Her hands were avid, pulling the hem of his t-shirt and roaming his hard, firm muscles in the chest, the back, the belly. He almost lost it when he felt her fingers sliding inside the hem of his boxers, slightly sticking out of his pants. Richard pushed her even harder against the tree, his hands caressing the sides of her waist, venturing up until he cupped her breasts and felt her gasping into their kiss. 

Richard left her mouth and started to bite and lick her neck, while his hands started to unbutton her jeans. When there was enough space, he inserted his hand inside her panties. She cried out while his teeth deepened the bite in her neck and his fingers entered her wetness in a single thrust. Feeling her so warm and ready almost threw him over the edge. He suddenly turned her around, making her face the tree and pulled down her jeans and her panties all in one, while he unbuttoned his and let out his length, caressing her femininity with its tip. 

She felt him as if asking for permission, and she grabbed his ass to pull him into her. It was all he needed to know. He entered her with one swift thrust, and she moaned as she felt filled.

"Oh my… Do it, move!" She demanded while he kept kissing her neck and grabbing her hair with one hand, while he touched her core with the other.

They didn't need much more. Soon, feeling his fingers grazing her inner lips she soon found release, moaning out loud and bringing him into the pleasure as well. 

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_So that's it… That night in the woods…_

Obviously, he had changed. He barely remembered that night, but seeing her again had refreshed his memory. A soft smile built in his face as he remembered what he had felt. His college girlfriend had dumped him almost two months before, and he hadn't been much of a boy since then. But he had lost the trace of that mysterious, and was unable to find her again.

Not that he wanted a relationship or anything, he was more of a single guy, but he wanted to thank her for an amazing moment. Of course, he didn't feel the need to go up to her and tell her…

_Hey, I'm your one night stand from college, I fucked you out of your mind in the woods, how you've been doing?_

That was out of the question. While he was building up the courage to introduce himself, the door opened and another girl, dressed in a uniform the same as the waitress came in. Richard assumed she was finishing her shift, and resented it. He didn't want to invite her over for lunch or a coffee. He just wanted to say hi, and now everything was getting more complicated. 

As he was trying to figure out how to do it, the world was readying itself to slap him right in the face. The door opened again, and a young man with blonde hair came inside. He was taking a little boy by the hand. Nothing interesting for him, until the waitress left her apron on the counter and run to the child, hugging him and kissing his forehead after brushing his dark curls back. She caressed his soft cheeks while talking to him, and his deep blue eyes were staring adoringly at her while nodding. 

The world froze there. How old was that boy? He counted inside. Maybe four? Five years? No more. Something happened to her as Richard was staring at the picture. She suddenly stiffened, and stood up slowly. Her eyes met Richard's, and the expression of her face gave him the answer he didn't even know he was asking for. The young woman took the child's hand and followed by the blonde guy, who had been standing there without any interaction, paced outside the coffee shop without looking back.


	2. Chapter 2

Richard just sat there, nothing else. Just sitting in a complete state of bewilderment. What did just happen? Was it possible? How...? No, it simply wasn't. But then, the age of the kid made it totally a possibility. He leaned against the back of the chair while running his hands through his hair, trying to asses the options. His choices were few. At least this time he knew where she was. Sooner or later she'd head back to work and he could decide whether he wanted to see her… Or to get out of the trouble.

He decided to take the first step. A non compromising one. Even though he was sure that little boy didn't have his genetics, the responsible thing to do was finding out to be completely adamant about it.

_Right?_

He picked up his laptop, got his bill and went to the counter to pay. Richard flashed his sexiest smile to the new waitress while paying. Something that always worked.

"You can keep the change, sweetheart. Do you always work this shift?" She smiled back and leaned over the counter, seductively.

"Monday to friday, I do. Anne's kid is at school in the mornings, so she can pull the early shift."

"That's nice… Hope to see you around then." He tilted his head winking his eye before turning around to leave.

The smile left his lips the second he left the coffee shop and headed back to his place. It was the longest walk he had ever taken, but it was merely five minutes away. Richard was completely puzzled. It had to be a coincidence, just that. It had no point to think that that kid could be… his.

_A son?_

He shivered at the thought, opened the door to his penthouse and dropped on the couch. Those curls… Richard opened one of the cupboards where he kept his family albums and nervously went through it. There they were. Pictures of himself, by the age of five or six with his older brothers, George and Edward. Both blonde, light green eyes and tall as willows. He had always been shorter, with black hair and dark blue eyes. Nothing alike them. And yet… 

Looking at his younger self, he couldn't help but noticing how strikingly similar his features were to that kid's. Richard put the album aside on the couch, closing it desperately. So that was the reason why he had never seen her again? It was all circumstantial, but those circumstances seemed to fit suspiciously well together.

What if he was… a father?

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Richard was unable to sleep that night. He tossed and turned through the darkest hours, and the minute he saw the sun rising behind the windows of his apartment, jumped off the bed and hurried into the bathroom. Quick shower and nice clothes, as always. When his hand was on the knob, his cellphone ring. Letting out a tired sigh, he picked up.

"Hey, Kate, what's up?" He answered getting away from the door and dropping in the dark grey leather couch.

"What's up? Really? Dickon, you know I love the money you make me earn and you're always a good sight, but you can't be serious…"

"Kate, I really can't talk right now…"

"Well you'll have to. We need to meet. Your due time was two months ago and we still don't have a single page from your manuscript. We're trusting you on this one, but this is way too much." Her velvet voice was in professional mode, and it made Richard squirm.

"I know, I just…"

"Lunch. At Lovell's. At least we will make Francis get some cash."

Kate hung up and Richard let his phone slide on the couch. He was in trouble, he knew that for sure. The muses had abandoned him and it was his fault. Getting away from his usual style was costing him dearly. It wasn't as if he hadn't anything written. That wasn't the issue. He had already written the whole story, and yet, he wasn't sure of it. For the first time in his life, Richard York had doubts about his talent.

He smirked at the thought and left his place.

The coffee shop was opened. Richard stopped a few steps from the door and stared at it. He wasn't sure of what he was going to say. He wasn't even sure he wanted to get involved in all this stuff. But… maybe this was all made up by his mind. He had an amazing imagination. He saw a little kid with dark hair and all of a sudden, he pictured himself as a father. Richard chuckled at how he had built this whole story out of nowhere, and pushed the door in.

His eyes flickered when the counter was being taken care of by the waitress he had talked with yesterday. He thought she had told him that the early shift was Anne's. He frowned and waved slowly at the girl.

"Hey… You're back!" She smiled while drying cups.

"Yeah… But wasn't Anne supposed to be here by now?" Richard asked quirking an eyebrow. The waitress' expression darkened and scowled.

"She quit! She called in this morning and quit, and I had to come by as fast as I could. That's totally irresp…"

Richard didn't even wait for her to end her sentence. 

By the time he arrived at Lovell's, Richard had hours to rake his brain with the whole situation. First, the resemblance with the kid. Then, the strange way she had looked at him at the coffee shop. And now, she not going to work. That had to mean something! He was absorbed by his thoughts when the kitchen door opened and Francis stepped out.

"Dickon! They told me you were here!" He hugged Richard glowing. "Damn, it's easier to see the king of England than you!"

"I've been busy."

"New novel?" Francis asked thrilled. "I'm dying to know what happens to…"

"You'll see. Anyway, I'm gonna sit. I think Kate's already there."

"Sure! I'll prepare something nice for you two. Good luck!" He winked at Richard and disappear back in the kitchen.

Francis was his best friend since high school. Instead of going to college, he went to culinary school. He had been a good student and asked for a loan to open his first restaurant. But luck was not on his side, and the place was quite deserted almost everyday. Richard felt truly sorry for him, and he always tried to get people to go there. Francis was a great cook, but the city had yet to discover him.

Kate was sitting already at the table. Her reddish hair fell in her back in waves, and his creamy skin was always perfectly made up. She was wearing a dress white blouse with a low neckline that exposed the beginning of her round tight breasts, and a black pencil skirt. She could kill anyone with those high-heel Lubutin stilettos, but it was kind of sexy. To be honest, Richard and Kate had had a few encounters between the sheets. And on the desk at the publisher office. And in his car. But nothing serious. She was the most independent woman he had ever met, and that's why he liked her. She could reduce a man to tears in thirty seconds.

Kate rose her emerald green eyes and saw Richard. By the way she slightly smiled at him, he knew this was a professional lunch. So he braced himself for what was coming.

"Kate… You look lovely, as always." He said after kissing her cheek and sitting down in front of her.

"Richard, cut the crap. You know the shit is reaching the fan and your face is the nearest one."

Well, she knew how to be graphic. 

"I know."

"No, you have no idea. I've been stonewalling my bosses for the past six weeks. They know you're due by now and they are getting uneasy. You know what that means. You have to give me something, anything!" Kate stated after drinking some of her red wine. "First chapter or something?"

Richard let a sigh escape his soft lips. "I have the whole thing finished… But it's not finished!" He added after seeing Kate's face starting to glow.

"I don't get it. Spill it."

"You see… I finished the last chapter about three months ago. But I didn't tell you… I'm not sure of it. Of any of it. It's… too far away from what I've done so far."

"But that was the point…"

"I know. But I'm afraid." Richard confessed after getting the starters. "If this fails… I won't be able to go back to what I did before. There's no turning back, and it scares the shit out of me."

"Richard… I know you. I've been working for you since before you finished college. And I have absolutely no doubt this is going to knock everyone out. Give me something… At least let me edit the first chapter. It's the only way I can help you."

"I can't, Kate. But give me a week. That's all I'm asking. If I'm not done with it by then, I will release the manuscript either way."

Kate stared at his eyes and sighed.

"Fair enough, York. But a week. I can't put the big guys off any longer."

Richard went through the meal without much excitement, and Kate quirked an eyebrow at his lack of emotion. He usually loved it here, and by now, she knew him well enough to know something was troubling him, besides the book.

"Richard, you're eating like a chicken, pecking around the plate, and it's annoying, boy. What is it?"

He looked at her and wondered. It was way too soon to tell anyone about his suspicions, but yet… He needed a confidant. Or at least, someone who could help him to order his ideas.

"I was wondering… How do you find someone? I mean, if you don't know where they live, or their surname…"

Kate seemed slightly bewildered, and shrugged after thinking a few seconds.

"I guess I'd use someone from legal. They have people that take care of this sort of things. Why? Do you need me to put you in touch with them?"

"That would be… I think that would do it."

"Do I wanna know?" She smiled wryly.

"Not really."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!!
> 
> Let me know how it's going ^_____^


	3. Chapter 3

Richard felt like a stalker. Only that he had the legal guys on his side. Kate texted him the number of the legal section of the publishing office shortly after they finished lunch, and he called as soon as he got home. On his way back he went by the coffee shop, only to find it closed. Apparently, they were going to need a couple of days to get someone to cover for Anne.

The conversation with the guy on the other side of the phone had been, to say the least, peculiar. Richard had no surname for Anne. Only an approximated age. No measures, only an estimation of them. He only knew where she used to work, and she wasn't there anymore. By the way the guy was sighing, Richard knew it was going to be a tough one.

"I'll let you know asap."

Apparently, for these people as soon as possible was almost a week later. Richard had almost pulled his hair off by the time his cellphone rang back. He almost threw it on the floor in his rush to pick it up. 

"Yes?"

"Richard Pork?"

"It's York." He fumed.

"Whatever. We got your girlfriend's current address and phone number. You have paper there to write down?" Richard took note of it.

"She's not my girlfriend." He added while he finished scribbling.

"Yeah, sure. Well, at least his husband doesn't seem to know about you, but their relationship looks pretty odd. Her kid is not registered with his surname, so I assume he's not his. Besides, the guy has two police reports for batterings, but she refused to press charges. Let me know if she needs a good lawyer, we can work something out."

"Alright… Thank you."

"No problem."

Richard hung up slowly, and sat on the coffee table. Married… and battered? Suddenly, his stomach shrunk at the thought of that tiny delicate girl being beaten up. And not pressing charges? There was too many things to digest. But he knew something. If that kid wasn't his husband's… The possibilities were totally narrowed.

_Weren't they?_

But now he had to make a choice. Was he going to drop by her house? Or was it better to give her a call? Again, what was he going to say? Too many unanswered questions and too much to lose. 

_Too much... or nothing at all?_

What did he have to lose? Nothing, to be honest. He stopped pacing in the middle of the room and picked up his cellphone. He dialed the number and before he could regret it, the tone started to sound. After the fifth tone and as he was taking the phone off his ear, he heard a voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey! It's… Well, you don't know my name, so…" Richard realized they had never exchanged names, so this was going to be even more difficult than already was.

"Do you know it's two in the morning? Who are you?" Her voice was sleepy and she was whispering.

"So… sorry! I'm… Richard. But I don't think that rings any bells…" He looked at the kitchen clock. How long had he been pacing around?

"No, sorry. And whatever it is, I think it can wait until tomorrow…"

"Who are you talking to?" A male voice appeared at the other side of the phone. Apparently, Anne had take the phone off since her voice came muffled.

"No one, I don't know who he is…"

"He? I can't believe it, you're screwing around again!" The yell sent shivers down Richard's spine.

"Anne?"

"You are unbeli..."

The cellphone went off. Richard stared at the screen and press the redial button. Her phone was off.

He didn't know what he was doing until he found himself in his car, speeding to the address the paralegal had provided him with. There was something building inside of him. Something he had never felt before. It was some kind of rage, but cooler. It felt so unfair for anyone to put up with a life like this he could not stay away from it. What if anything happened? It would be on him. He couldn't stop.

The brakes squealed when he suddenly stopped the car by the entrance. It was not the best neighborhood in the city, and his 1969 black Porsche 911 was sticking out strikingly. He didn't give a shit. He paced to the door and knocked vigorously. By the third time he did, a small crack appeared on the door. Anne's face sticked out and her eyes widened in surprise.

"What…?"

"Anne, are you alright?" Richard asked with worry covering his voice.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here? How do you know my name? And how did you find me?" She kept glancing back into the house.

"I asked. What was that?"

"What do you want?" She asked in return. She didn't seem too pleased to see him in the middle of the night.

"I know this is… weird…"

"It's freaking creepy, to be honest."

"I know, I know…" He accused her words like a punch in the gut. This wasn't going the way Richard expected. "Can we just…"

"Whatever you have to tell me, you can do it in the morning, or at a normal time in the day. Showing up like this…"

"I just wanted to make sure you were fine, I heard him…"

"It's hardly any of your business." Her voice was icy cold. "Whatever you want, I'm not interested. So…"

"Wait!" Richard put a foot between the door and the frame. "At least… can we grab some coffee tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"Why?" He repeated trying to gain some time. This was definitely far more difficult than expected. Anne's coldness was disarming him. Richard recalled her as a sweet, fun girl. Nothing like this. He dropped his arms by the sides of his body and after looking around, desperately, he stared into hers. "I want to talk to you. We can do it here, but I think it's not the best way. Or timing."

Anne stared back, and suddenly her cheeks blushed. A soft voice came from behind, a voice that sounded more asleep than awaken.

"Mommy?"

Richard's heart froze and she felt his sudden stiffness. Anne pushed the door to reduce the crack even more and nodded quickly.

"Tomorrow, 4 pm. You know Middleham?"

"Yeah, the coffee shop."

"Bye." She said while closing the door. But if his eyes didn't fool him, she lingered a second, staring at him.

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Richard didn't know how he had ended up at Middleham like thirty minutes early. He was getting crazy at his place. The bookshelves could use a relocation, so he spent half of the day with that. Then he cleaned a little. Well, a lot. And when everything was sparkling he updated his laptop backups. Just in case. It was only 3 pm, and waiting home wasn't an option anymore. 

His feet were tapping on the floor nervously as he drank his cappuccino. He loved the place, so when Anne told him to meet her there he kind of felt reassured. This was known battlefield. 

When she arrived, his eyes went straight to her. She took her sunglasses off and after ordering at the counter, she went to the table where Richard had already stood up. He reached his hand out, feeling a bit awkward. Shaking hands was appropriate? After five, six years? And after banging like mad dogs in the dark? Truly, protocol seemed a bit out of question now.

"Hey…" He said lamely. 

"Hi. I don't think I got to know your name…" She said after shaking his hand softly and sitting down in front of him. She folded her arms together in a defensive position, and Richard gasped. This was definitely going to be a battle.

"Richard, it's Richard. York."

Anne rose her eyebrows.

"York as the guy who writes that stuff about love in the middle ages?" She asked.

"Yeah…" He admitted uncomfortably. The way she just said it made him feel like E. L. James.

"My sister's totally into those novels. She tried to force me into reading them, but I'm more into history essay than fiction novel."

"Did you major in History?"

"Not really." She answered after sipping her hot latte. Richard could tell she was trying to get some time. "I didn't finish college. Things… happened."

So there it was. The vine he needed to pull from.

"What… happened? If I may ask."

Anne stared at him. She was totally analyzing him. Seeing if he was worth telling. Richard didn't back down. His deep blue eyes stared back at her, until she looked away.

"Things. Life, I guess. Anyway, I didn't have the time to finish. I will tell Isabel that I've met you. She'll be thrilled."

"Sure…" He muttered. He didn't know how to bring it up. What if he was mistaken? What if that little boy wasn't his? But something in his gut was beating. He needed to know. "Anne…"

"Yes?" She seemed more uncomfortable within the minute.

"You know why I've searched for you. Back at the coffee shop…"

"I need to go. Sorry." She suddenly stood up, grabbed her purse and coat and left so quickly by the time he realized he had been stood up, she was already out of sight. 

Richard left some money on the table and ran after her. He looked around on the sidewalk, trying to find out which way she had taken, when she saw her. She was about to cross the street while looking at her cellphone, but the traffic light was red for pedestrians. 

It all happened too fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!!
> 
> Comments are always welcome :P


	4. Chapter 4

Anne was sitting on his leather couch, patiently waiting while noises from the bathroom came through the half-closed door. About a minute later, Richard emerged through it with some hydrogen peroxide, a few gauzes, some iodine and plaster. She lowered her gaze while he attended to her scratched knees, first cleaning them with the peroxide, then applying some iodine that made Anne shiver with the sting feeling, and then covering them with gauze and plaster.

He seemed quite focused on the task, and a small crease appeared between his eyebrows. He was indeed frowning while he started to do the same procedure with her elbows. And when they were done, he payed attention to the small cut on her eyebrow, that was already starting to get purple on the edges.

"What?" Anne finally asked folding her arms together, tired of being scowled at.

"You shouldn't cross the street without looking." He mumbled between his teeth. He was trying to be careful while wiping off the blood and disinfect the wound.

"That's like the fifteenth time you tell me so…"

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The taxi that was speeding from the corner didn't see Anne. She was immersed in her cellphone while texting, and haven't even looked around before starting to cross the road. There wasn't even time for screaming a warn out. Richard ran like his life was on stake and tackled her to the sideway. The taxi crossed by honking and yelling a few unrepeatable words, while Anne laid under Richard's body on the pavement. A few people passed by and stared at them, but almost no one stopped to see if they were ok.

He stared at her light blue eyes while she gazed back, startled and not yet sure of what just happened. His white dress shirt was torn and stained with the dirt from the ground, but he wasn't pulling back. It took a few minutes for them to go back to reality, and he stood up first, helping her back on her feet.

"First of all, are you ok? Anything broken?" Richard asked grabbing her hand and taking her away from the middle of the sidewalk.

"I think… Yeah, I think all's in place." She answered after checking her joints. A few bruises, for sure, were on their way, but nothing serious. Then, he pulled his cuff into his hand and wiped her forehead. There was blood on the fabric, and Anne shivered. 

"You shouldn't cross the street without looking."

"That's mine?"

"Yeah. Let's go. I live nearby." Anne twitched a little bit and he felt it. His eyes stated that he wasn't taking a no for an answer. "I'm not going to tie you up and throw you into a moldy basement. Move."

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"… Because it seems like no one has ever told you." Richard frowned even deeper. The cut was already dressed and he pulled back. "You look like you just got hit by a train."

"Thank you." She whispered in a tone that was half sarcastic, half sincere. "I should get going…"

He stood up and turned away from her while unbuttoning his shirt. It started to slide on his shoulders just as he entered the bathroom and disappeared from her sight. Anne stood up, but her knees hurt a bit. 

"I can drive you home, if you want me to." He offered from the bathroom, before coming up again with a white plain shirt that slightly hinted his toned torso.

"You don't mind?" Anne quirked an eyebrow.

"What'd you think?"

"But…?" 

Richard was standing in the middle of the living room, and slowly leaned against the wall, in front of Anne. She sat back on the couch and braced herself for what she knew was coming. He stared at her and words became capricious. They wouldn't find a way out of his mouth, and with a snort, he went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He was filling it in the sink when he realized he needed something stronger. He grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and headed back to Anne. She smiled a little bit, and accepted the drink, while he sat in front of her on the coffee table.

"I don't even know how…" He trailed off and took a long sip. Anne was fidgeting with the bottle, and her eyes wondered all over the place. Richard sensed her discomfort, and snorted again.

"What?" She asked naively, and her cheeks blushed before looking back at her bottle.

"Well. Let's put it this way. When I saw you at the coffee shop…"

"I can't do this, I'm sorry…" She suddenly stood up, throwing the beer on the floor and tripping with the carpet on her way out. Richard held her a second before she'd hit the ground, and grabbed her by the arms.

"What is it that you're so scared of me? What have I done? I haven't seen you in six years and when I finally happen to meet you, you're holding a little boy that looks exactly like me!"

The look in her eyes made him set her loose. It was full of hatred, full of resentment, and Richard felt it dearly.

"What have you done? Rejecting me, and your son is not enough for you?"

"What are you talking about!?" Richard was beyond surprise. How did he do something he wasn't even aware of doing? There was something missing, and he was already too deep into it to let it go or care about the consequences. 

_Your son..._

The look in her eyes shifted, and a hint of bewilderment appeared. Her defensive position relaxed and her arms folded in front of her body.

"What am I talking about?" She repeated frowning.

"Can we just sit down, and talk this through? Because I have the feeling neither of us have all the pieces."

Anne's brain swiftly went through every possible way out, but finally complied. It was time, already, to settle this down. But suddenly, she went into the kitchen, leaving Richard completely puzzled. He was about to go looking for her when she came back with a few pieces of kitchen roll. Without saying a word, she cleaned the beer on the floor and quietly sat by his side on the couch. But she was still facing the front, instead of turning to face Richard.

"Can we start from the beginning, please?" He demanded, crossing his hands together. He was comfortably settled against the back of the couch. Pushing her too far away could be a setback and he truly wanted to find out the whole story.

"Well, you know the beginning. You were actually there, if I recall correctly." For the first time, Anne's voice seemed more relaxed, and by the way her cheeks flustered, he knew that her memory of that night was as good as it was for him.

"You do." He mumbled.

"Well. I never pictured that as anything more than a one night stand. A good one, to be honest, but I was way too focused on studying to even consider getting involve with anyone. It's not personal." She pointed looking at him for the first time. Her body was already shifting slowly to face him.

"Don't worry."

"I was so focused that I took me almost three months with exams and deadlines to figure out what was happening to me. I have always been quite… irregular with my… girly things, you know?" 

She stuttered a bit, and the flush on her cheeks was there again, making Richard feel the need to caress them and comfort her.

"By the time I found out, I wasn't sure there was something else I could do, besides having him. I mean… I don't think I truly considered not having Johnny, but…"

"Wait, his name is Johnny?" He stopped her by touching her shoulder. Anne looked into his eyes and what she saw in them washed over her feelings like a wave of relief. She nodded slowly and took her wallet out of his purse. Opening it, she took out a few pictures and handed them over to Richard.

He took them in his hands as if they were the most precious treasure. His eyes suddenly filled with emotion, as he flipped through them. A small baby with dark curls, a serious toddler with deep blue eyes, just like his, frowning in the middle of the park, a five year old smiling brightly at the camera with a comic in his hand.

"I was all alone, but I felt the need to let you know. I didn't know how to find you," she continued as he watched the photos "I didn't' even know your name, so I started to ask around quietly, giving your description to the people from the sorority where we… Well. Finally this girl told me that you were her boyfriend's brother…"

"What was her name?" He suddenly asked, not liking where things were heading.

"Elizabeth. She told me that she was…"

"My brother Edward's girlfriend. Well, wife now."

"Yeah. By the time I talked to her, my belly was already showing. I remembered the way she looked at it, as if I were some kind of… gold digger, or something. Well. She told me that she'd talk to you, and we should meet again if you were up to. But the day we agreed on to meet again, instead of you it was her at the cafeteria. She told me that you didn't want anything to do with me, that there was no way that this boy could be yours and that I was no more than a slut looking for a sugar daddy."

By the time she finished her sentence, Anne's eyes were filled with tears and Richard's were completely full of hatred. She didn't need him to say nothing else. All the things Elizabeth said were nothing more than a foul lie and she bought it. She didn't even fight to find if they were true, and this was the price to pay. His jaw was so clenched, Anne couldn't stop her hand to reach for it and put it softly against it.

"Why would she… That's not true!!" He exploded, making Anne gasp. "I never knew about you, Elizabeth never told me about you meeting her, and be sure I have never rejected you or our boy!! How could you believe her!!" Richard stood up, and the photos dropped to the floor. He was beyond self-control.

"I… I didn't know you either, I thought you wouldn't take care of a one night stand that turned out like that…" She mumbled in an apologetic tone, but Richard was pacing around, with his hands running through his hair. Suddenly, he grabbed on of his family pictures and threw it against the wall, breaking it into pieces. It startled Anne so badly she couldn't help her tears from sliding down her cheeks. "Please, stop…"

Richard turned back to face her, and his face was stone cold.

"Leave. Please, just go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, Richard isn't reacting the best way, but think about it. He's a responsible guy, and he has lost six years of his life without knowing he had a son. And he has been pictured all this time as the bad guy because of his sister in law. It's way too much to handle right now, and he has a temper, so forgive him. He's on an emotional roller-coaster.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea running around my mind for a few weeks and I wanted to write about it, so let me know what you think.
> 
> And ideas are always welcome! 
> 
> Thank you!!!


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